As soon as I picked up Brandon Sanderson’s “The Way of Kings,” I was hooked. This series is seriously imaginative, exciting, fast-paced, intricate, intriguing, among another dozen host of words that would not even begin to explain Sanderson’s world. Of the three books of Sanderson I’ve read (by this point, I even have Oathbringer under my belt), I believe Words of Radiance is my favorite.

The world that Sanderson creates in these books is nothing short of awe inspiring. You can look at my review of the Way of Kings to learn more about the premise of Sanderson’s world, but he continues to impress in Words. There is something about sequels of the epic fantasy genre that seem to drag on and it makes me lose interest quick. Not so for Words. In fact, Sanderson has constructed a world that makes you grasp for more even after you’ve read 1088 pages.

Among its highlights without giving too much away.. I really liked the Shallan backround in this book. She is intriguing and while the story is bogged down because of the flashbacks, the pacing of this particular book felt right; just the correct amount of action to drama in drawing out Shallan’s backstory in particular. Something I’ve felt about the character of Kaladin throughout the series is he reminds me of Luke Skywalker; he’s whiney all. The. Time. In this book however, he begins to embrace his destiny. At the end, it’s hard not to be a Kaladin supporter.

The storyline between the Parshendi and Alethi onslaught mixed in with the Alethi high court (Dalinar, Adolin, Renarin, and Navani) makes for both the dramatic and the intrigue. I love when Shallan gets thrown into the mix to confuse things even more.

Without giving away too much, this is just an incredible piece of literature. This book in particular was one of the finest pieces Sanderson has done, in my opinion.